In captivity-

Setup and decor-

There are two popular housing options for Bengalese Finches: cages or aviaries.

Cages: cages allow you to keep small flocks (1 or 2 pairs) in your home, where you'll be able to get the most enjoyment out of keeping them. As cages are often considerably smaller than aviaries, they allow the keeper to monitor the birds' behaviour and wellbeing, meaning it easier to spot when something is wrong. On the other hand, cages often do not provide enough room for active species such as Bengalese Finches in my opinion, especially when only the minimum size is given. Overall, cages are easier than aviaries when it comes to cleaning and care, however they still have a number of drawbacks. The bare minimum cage size for a pair of Bengalese Finches is 60x45x45cm (24x18x18 inches), bearing in mind space will be taken away by perches, bowls, nest boxes and other decor. As long as the cage has a bar spacing of 1.2cm (1/2 inch) or less, a larger cage would be much more suitable, and allow for additional birds.

Aviaries: my personal favourite for housing birds, particularly small, active species like finches, is an aviary. Often situated outdoors, aviaries provide a far more enriching and natural environment than a cage, and ensure your birds get plenty of excersise. At 5 metres in length, our aviary allows our birds to fully stretch their wings. Additionally, plants, trees and natural materials can all be incorporated to create the perfect natural environment for your birds. You can also house a far greater number of birds, allowing these flock animals to truly show off their wild behaviours. As with cages, there are still a couple of drawbacks with aviaries. The larger space and greater number of birds means it's more difficult to monitor issues and recognise health issues with individual birds, costs to setup are often much more expensive, and there is a far greater area to clean and maintain. This does not, however, stop aviaries being my preference, and I'd always recommend going down the aviary route to new keepers.

Remember that length is more important to birds than height, after all when was the last time you saw a finch take off vertically?!

Whether you're housing your birds in a cage or an aviary, you'll want to know what decor to include. Firstly, a number of different sizes, shapes and material of perch should be included, such as rope, bamboo and natural wood. The dowel perches often featured with bird cages can also be used, however ensure there is plenty of variety in your perches, and discourage use of dowel as the primary perches. Plants- live or fake- could be added to your birds' habitats to add a natural touch, but make sure these are safe before use, and remove fake plants if there are signs of chewing. Finally you'll want enrichment. Bird toys can be included if desired, however these are intended for use with parrots and in our experience finches have very little care for them. Bengalese Finches will forage and bathe, so to keep your birds mentally stimulated, provide opportunities for both of these behaviours.

Feeding-

Birds need varied diets to thrive in captivity, and various seeds, fruits and vegetables should be offered. A diet of 50% seed and 50% fruits and vegetables is ideal for Bengalese Finches, although commercially available pellets can be included in their diet too. Canary seed or a foreign finch mix should be used to make up the bulk of the seed portion of their diet, with millet sprays provided for enrichment and variety. Fruits and vegetables should also be provided daily, which finches love to pick at and enjoy. Vegetables are preferable over fruits as they contain less sugar, so should make up the majority of this section of their diet. Make sure that you are only using safe foods when feeding your bird, as some can be fatal; such as mushrooms, avocado and chocolate.

Water must also be available at all times and replaced when dirty- at least once daily. Birds can dehydrate very quickly (in just a matter of hours) so constantly providing fresh drinking water is vital.

Common diseases and conditions-

As with any pet, finches are susceptible to a number of different illnesses, including mites, worms, bacterial infections and more.

• Mites- there are numerous mites that can affect your Bengalese finches, among them Air Sac Mites and Scaly Face/Foot mites. These are often simple to cure using easily-obtained treatments, although it is best to consult your avian vet, especially in advanced circumstances. Unfortunately, scaly face mites is something we have had to deal with in our aviary, although happily the issue was quickly spotted and controlled. Quarantineing new birds and using preventative mite treatment will ensure safety of your flock.
• Egg binding- this is where females are unable to pass eggs, often due to poor diets and lack of essential vitamins/minerals. If immediate vet treatment is not provided, it's likely your bird will not make it, as they often cannot pass the eggs on their own. A proper diet, including as much variety as possible, will reduce the chances of this occurring.
• Bacterial infections- there are numerous bacteria that can cause illness in finches, and far too many to list here. Consult your vet immediately if you see any signs of a bacterial infection, which includes nasal discharge and watery eyes, along with other symptoms. Regularly cleaning enclosures and their environment, along with setting up new birds in quarantine, will minimise risk of such infections.
• Viruses- viruses in pet finches are often fatal and highly contagious. For example, Avian Flu is dangerous in wild birds, and if not properly protected during an outbreak, aviary birds can easily pick it up, and your entire flocks would have to be culled to prevent further spread. Some viruses are treatable with veterinary care, so contact your vet at the first signs of a virus for diagnosis and treatment.
• There are a number of other conditions, and if you are interested in learning more and bettering your understanding, I would recommend visiting the Melbourne Bird Vet page, linked here.

Buying Bengalese Finches-

As with almost any other animal, only buy from reputable breeders, or alternatively rehome from owners who can no longer care for them. Bengalese Finches are low cost and as they are a domesticated species, they are commonly available and most can be found for between £10 and £25. Females often cost a greater amount than males in pet birds. There are also a small number of mutations available, so consider this before choosing your new birds.

 

Important notes about all pet birds-

-All pet birds should have time out of the cage daily. Bengalese Finches are no exception and should be offered at least an hour out of their cage, but there is no limit on how long they can stay out. If you can, why not let your bird out (supervised of course) all day! If you can't offer much out of the cage time, consider investing in a large cage or housing your birds in an outdoor aviary.

-Wing clipping is a very controversial subject and I believe it is wrong. Unless you have valid reason to do this, please don't clip your birds wings. It's like chopping off a human's legs for no reason. It isn't fair on a creature that is meant to fly to stop them from doing so. There are many articles elsewhere on why you shouldn't clip your birds wings, please do read them.

-Register with an avian vet! Most normal vets don't know what they are doing when it comes to birds and exotics, so find a vet that knows how to deal with your species before even considering buying one. It also is a good idea to keep some money to one side just in case of an emergency, or alternatively to insure your pet.

-Bird grit is not necessary for this species and does more harm than good, please don't feed it. Likewise, when provided with the proper, varied diet, supplements such as calcium licks and cuttlebone are also not required.

-New World birds (those from South and Central America) and Old World birds (from the rest of the world) should not be kept together, or even in the same room due to the potentially harmful dander produced by the Old World species.

 

References-

My care sheets are mostly written from experience, however to make sure I give the best possible advice, I will compare with other owners views and successes. For this care sheet, I cross referenced with-

Pet coach: https://www.petcoach.co/article/society-finch-species-profile-housing-diet-behavior/

 

 

Thank you for reading my Bengalese Finch care sheet and I hope you found it helpful and informative. Good luck with your new bird!